


Devil's Backbone

by Wierdowithagun



Category: Naruto
Genre: Betrayal, Cigarettes, Drama, Forbidden Love, Guns, M/M, Mafia-esque, Non-Explicit Sex, Organized Crime, Puzzle Timeline, Scheming, Songfic, Vague Descriptions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 04:52:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3236960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wierdowithagun/pseuds/Wierdowithagun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Love and relationships usually happen inexplicably. Sometimes though, it's all according to plan. </p><p>But who's?</p><p>(Hida/Shika AU classic twisted romance story inspired by The Civil War's song, 'Devil's backbone.' )</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before you read I just want to tell you, first you must listen to the song so you understand the energy and feeling behind the fic. (Devil's Backbone by The Civil Wars, in case you didn't catch it before.) Secondly before you start reading and get all confused I'd like to inform you this is a self-challenge, like most of my works. I call it a 'puzzle fic'. You'll probably understand why by the end of the story.
> 
> Please enjoy.

 

  
_"Oh lord, oh Lord, what have I done? I've fallen in love with a man on the run."_

 

\--

 

  
"Growing up the way people like me and my own have to alters a persons sense of realities, justice, morals.

  
Everything is always relative in a manner of speaking. To the person, place... timing... everything can be taken into account. What seems one thing to one person will seem something else to another. It's not psychology, its just a part of life, and it doesn't mean one or the other is wrong. It's simply a matter of perception, emotion, and most of all the consequence of a choice."

  
He paused to inhale deeply from the cigarette bobbing helplessly between his lips as he spoke, then removed it with his free hand. The other slowly pulled back the hammer of the revolver pointed unwavering at the forehead of the man on his knees in front of him.

  
"Not all lives are equal, and their worth, like everything else, it completely relative in every aspect of the term. Are you following me... Hidan?"

  
He released the smog from his body in a steady plume, watching it fade away into the air in peripheral while his eyes centered on the piercing amethyst that glared defiantly back at him, unflinching.  
Without receiving an answer, the gun wielder continued.

  
"You... have tampered with the game, changed predestined roles and altered perceptions of this relativity. And in these regards, consequence now demands to be taken for your actions.  
'Consequence' as a word has been defined by humanity as a negative outcome, but the truth of the matter is it's just something that happens because of something else. A consequence of a choice might kill someone, it might also save someone. And since when has saving a life ever been the wrong thing to do?"

  
Hands bound behind him, body hunched in a way that denied the act of not being in pain that he tried so desperately to put forth, Hidan chuckled.

  
"Naturally... it depends on the person that was saved... Neh?" He wheezed, a hard but agnostic glare still unbroken against that of his captor.

  
Dropping the cigarette carelessly onto the old oak flooring, he stared down at the victim. A swirling of emotion and rational thought battling for control behind sharp, charcoal eyes. His lips pulled into a frown, as if he'd been expecting, or hoping, for a different response. But after the pause he sighed, resigning to whatever internal battle it was that seemed to haunt him.

  
"Naturally..." He said softly, then pulled the trigger.

 

\--

 

_"Oh Lord, oh Lord I'm begging you please... Don't take that sinner from me."_


	2. Chapter 2

 

  
_"Oh Lord, oh Lord, what do I do? I've fallen for someone whose nothing like you."_

 

\--

 

  
"You've no idea of the hell you're so eager to join. It's something you were raised to think, what is right, you've no choice but to believe your morals pounded into your head by a bunch of puppet masters. Ain't anything about humanity that makes sense anymore, kid. And someone as smart as you will only lose your goddamn mind trying to find logic in a mess as fucked up as this one."

  
"Then I'll make my own logic."

  
Fire flashing within the unbroken innocence of this boy, just barely old enough to be called a man, had him unable to turn and walk away as he knew well he should. Too goddamn smart, this kid was, to play the games he was playing... too unlearned to see the poison he was about to willingly swallow. How many times he'd seen it, smart, strong men with faith and intelligence flowing from them in waves turned to a blubbering, weeping mess with the barrel of a gun in their mouth, praying for escape the only true way one can achieve it.

  
"It's not a game, you make your own rules, you surrender to insanity. You do what you're fucking told, don't think about it, don't question it. They don't kid around when they say it. The second you start trying to rationalize, you've killed yourself. Your uncle is a good man, dabbling in the affairs of the fucking evil. Why do you think I'm here? Fight fire with fire. You can't listen to his lessons of morality and standards, because everything has a loophole big enough for shadows to slip through. You treat it like a game where you have a chance of winning, you're going to die."

  
"You've obviously never played a game with me before."

  
Confidence that could never have been rightfully earned by someone so ignorant.. An arrogant little fuck is how he'd feel about anyone else so dismissive of his hard-won and rare wisdom. But with this one, with those coal-black eyes like daggers that pierced through the entirety of his being, killing his thoughts and leaving only a longing sort of pain within him, he had a hard time thinking that this kid was spinning him bullshit.

  
It wasn't right.

  
It wasn't natural.

  
As were most of the things he repeatedly found himself intrigued by. Despite himself he felt his teeth brush against his lips as they pulled back into a wicked grin.

  
"Why don't we play then?"


	3. Chapter 3

 

  
_"He's raised on the edge of the devil's backbone, I just wanna take him home."_

 

\--

 

Hot lips covered him, rough hands pulling him closer, too close, but not close enough. As if the oxygen was sucked away before it could reach him, he drew in each breath hastily, inhaling instead only the scent of this man. His skin reeked of it, of sweat and work and musk, but for whatever reason it only fueled his dream-like state.

  
His hands wandered up and down, slipping over taught muscle and one battle scar after the other. So inexperienced as he was, this was one aspect of life he was not confident about, he didn't know any cheats or secrets to this game, in fact he wasn't even sure there were rules.

  
If there were rules, they most likely would have been broken by now.

  
A soft moan whispered out among his panting when a tongue ran the length of his navel all the way up to his neck, where tender skin was caught between teeth in a mouth that never seemed to cease its smirk.  
He alternated between leaving his eyes open and clenching them shut, afraid at some points they might roll into the back of his head. Every touch had him shuddering, teetering dangerously on the edge of a cliff he couldn't seem to fall over. It was frightening, and thrilling at the same time, not knowing whether he would fall to his death, or sprout wings and fly.

  
' _Depends on the person.._ ' He thought to himself, without really knowing why.

  
Demanding fingers pulling through his hair, tugging in a way that hurt but in a way that made him groan in ecstatic agony. He had half a mind to start spurting out an incomprehensible series of swears, only his mouth seemed completely useless at the moment to do anything other than gulp down air.

  
For a brief second his lover, or the man he was going to call his lover for however long this moment might last, leaned back, his upper half nearly sparkling white in the moons light that fell through the open window. And violet eyes practically seemed to shimmer, or maybe more accurately, burned at him.  
"You have no fucking idea what you're doing." He said low, voice like gravel in the man's poorly hidden arousal. Shikamaru had no time to respond, as he was lost once again in near ecstasy almost as soon as the sentence was finished.

  
Hands touching where he'd never been touched, lips sucking in places he'd never knew could be so sensual, the weight and body heat pressing down on him, suffocating and enthralling at the same time. It was like a drug, being infected by some sort of substance that pushed his mind from his body, he couldn't stop breathing it in, letting it wash over him and settle like a soft, warm blanket.

  
For the shortest of moments he snapped back to reality with a gasp when a hand slipped between his legs. 'This is wrong' echoed somewhere in the recesses of his mind, fighting to make it to awareness before being smothered again by this living narcotic. Thoughts and concerns were strictly forbidden in this moment, in this small tunnel of time where it slowed to the torturous pace of a snail so as to better suck every bit of self-control he possessed from him.

  
"I c-cant." He gasped once more when fingers strayed to dark and unknown places, arching his back but hoping it wouldn't stop there. His eyes flashed open wide in alarm to see that demonic shade of magenta grinning back at him, hungry, animalistic, and for a moment he was frozen with terror, convinced suddenly that it was all a dream that had now turned to a nightmare.

  
But it stopped, a silver brow raised in question, and the pressure started to seep away and to his confusion and understanding alike, Shikamaru was wrought with even more terror than before.  
"Don't you dare." He growled, the three words that doomed him.

  
Again the smirk, pearly whites peeking just the smallest bit from behind wicked, evil lips that promised all the pleasure in the world for nothing more than his very soul. " _Yes, master_." Hidan growled.  
And the world spiraled into darkness in which only his screaming was noted, muffled as if a hand were over his mouth.

  
' _Sick and twisted love..._ ' He whispered to himself for reasons he didn't care enough to understand.


	4. Chapter 4

 

  
_"Oh Lord, Oh Lord, he's somewhere between a hangman's knot and three mouths to feed."_

 

 

\--

 

  
_"If it was anyone else..."_

 

 

"Shikamaru, this is Hidan. He's here to assure my, and more importantly, your, safety."

  
"Who said I need protection?" The young man said flippantly, with a glare at the silver haired man standing with an amused grin next to his uncle.

  
"The men who mugged you last week, for one." The bearded man laughed back at him. "As well as all my advisers and associates. And the several men teaching you how to run this business."  
"He looks like an idiot."

  
"Intelligence isn't always measured in IQ, Shikamaru. And in this case it's a matter of experience and quick-thinking that's called for." Asuma said calmly, pausing to do a quick once-over of this man with silver hair, gelled back in a classic, professional style that he somehow managed to make look casual. He nudged him with an elbow before continuing. "And a little bit of brawn doesn't hurt either."

  
The youngest only rolled his eyes and went back to the novel in his hands. "Another idiot chaperon, what a drag...."

 

 

-

 

 

_"If he had been anyone... or anything else... "_

 

 

"So how old are you anyway?"

  
"How old do I look?"

  
Buttoning his shirt, the Shikamaru eyed the gun secured in his holster on the waist of his 'bodyguard'. He snorted and turned away with a grimace. "You don't look old enough to protect anyone if you ask me. Asuma is a good judge of character though, so I guess it isn't too troublesome."

  
"You don't look old enough to be the heir to your uncle's fucking enterprise either, Pineapple head."

  
Shikamaru whirled around, now securing somewhat unruly hair into an unconventional ponytail, and shooting a glare at the older man that on most just-barely-adults would seem dismissive if not for the keen spark of intellect nearly hidden within them. "Keep talking like that and you'll end up jobless on the street just like all the other 'protectors' I was assigned. Speak with respect, Hidan-san."

  
"You got it, Master Pineapple head, sir." He replied back, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall with that same amused grin, head tilted to the ceiling, eyes closed.

 

-

 

_"Maybe... if any one small thing had been different. If I had any other choice..."_

 

 

"Where are you always going at night?"

  
Hidan flinched so slightly in front of him that most people wouldn't have noticed. "What do you mean?"

  
"You know, when you think everyone is asleep and you sneak out the pantry window that makes that ungodly screech every time it's opened or closed?"

  
Hidan slowed his pace to walk beside the younger, staring curiously at him. "Why the fuck would I climb out a goddamn window when I can just walk out the door?"

  
He shrugged, the smallest of smirks tugging at one side of his lips. "Well, you are an idiot. Only proved by the fact that you'd so obviously dodge the question with that sorry excuse for a reply instead of asking something that would make more sense, like why I'm in the kitchen every night at 2 in the morning so that I'm within range to hear that awful sound."

  
The silver hair only clicked his tongue and quickened his pace to again walk in front of his ward. "You worry about your job and the shit it entitles. I'll worry about mine."

  
"Leaving in the middle of the night isn't in your contract, Hidan." Shikamaru said, suddenly serious. He stopped, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the man. After a few moments the older noticed he wasn't being followed, and with an irritated expression, trudged back.

  
"And I don't like the way you're acting. You think I'm so dumb to not realize you've been going out to meet someone? Who do you really work for?"

  
To Shikamaru's surprise, his bodyguard burst into laughter. "Wow, kid. You're so smart you're fucking stupid." He chuckled, then turning around and motioning for the other to follow once more.  
"You've got a lot to learn about the way things work in the world you live in. Seriously. It's a good fucking thing I'm here. You should be thanking me."

  
Confused, and therefore frustrated for the first time in... as long as he could remember, Shikamaru grimaced, but followed along behind, jogging for the first few steps to catch up.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

  
_"There wasn't a wrong or a right he could choose. He did what he had to do...."_

 

 

\--

 

 

The door slammed behind Hidan as he stormed from Asuma's office, past Shikamaru as if he weren't even there. With wide eyes, he quickly latched himself onto the man's heels.  
"What the hell is this? You can't just quit for no reason!" He said much louder than appropriate.

  
Hidan reacted accordingly by whirling around, leaning over his ward in a show of dominance, and attempted to glare him into submission. "I can do whatever the fuck I want, master." With that he continued on his way.

  
Unaffected, Shikamaru followed again, matching his large strides with his face contorted in anger. He said nothing for the longest time until they neared the door to the library, which had just been cleaned and wouldn't be inhabited for another hour. At that point he took a very large step to the side and lurched toward the bigger man, shoving with all his power and just barely managing to push him sideways into the room.

  
Hidan snarled, as expected, but the Nara closed the door behind him and braced himself against it, blocking the only exit. "I'll remind you again that _you_ work for _me_. Not my Uncle. You don't get to quit _unless I say so_."

  
"Human possession was outlawed a long time ago you little shit. You're out of luck. Get the fuck out of my way before I make you."

  
"You don't have to." Shikamaru said quickly as Hidan reached for him, and paused.

  
"I know you still think I'm naive, and ignorant. But I know what you're doing. I know why. I've known since you first started."

  
Silver brows dropped in further anger.

  
"I know why you go back and forth, tell me to follow the rules one day, then contradict everything you say the next. You think I don't understand, but I've been saying this whole time that I _know_. I _know_ everything about you."

  
He paused, letting the information sink in, pleading with his eyes, expression pained, muscles tense. Hidan only stared back, unreadable, hand still outstretched to grab the smaller man and forcibly remove him from the door.

  
"I don't care." He said quietly. "I _know_ , but I don't care."

  
More silence, extending on forever between them. But he held firm, watching patiently despite the equal amounts of anger and fear raging inside. Hidan didn't move either, they were at a stalemate, it seemed, neither willing to budge, just like it had always been. A challenge, a game that neither could seem to win, despite any temporary victories. Even in the state it was in, even at the level of intensity it had grown to, it remained a game. First to break was the loser, and here was Hidan, the only man that had ever proven to him that there is still land left unexplored, trying to just _give up_.

  
As if that would ever be acceptable.

  
Finally, He lowered his hand, and straightened. Shikamaru relaxed slightly.

  
"You think you know what you're doing..."

  
"I know what I'm doing."

  
"You think you know what you want."

  
"Yes."

  
"You're just a kid."

  
"And still smarter than you."

  
A pause.  
"Then get your shit."

  
Shikamaru blinked.

  
"And meet me in the car. You have ten minutes. If you're a second late, I'm fucking gone." In one easy movement he shoved Shikamaru out of the way, opened the door, and disappeared through it, leaving the younger to stare and process this new situation.


	6. Chapter 6

 

  
_"So give me the burden.  
_ _Give me the blame._   
_I'll shoulder the load and I'll swallow the shame."_

 

 

\--

 

 

_I have lived a life of sheltered prosperity. One where everything is done for me that is not absolutely necessary to my long-term goal in order to speed up the maturing process. I've been groomed and shaped like a topiary since I could walk all for the specific skills I'll need to take over my Uncle's 'enterprise' should he ever be unable to perform his job or when the time comes that he decides to retire._   
_I'm a rich, spoiled kid to common people. I'm a treasure to those who hope for my Uncle's legacy to continue, for 'peace' to last. I'm a target for those who wish to have what I am promised. To everyone else, I am something. But not to any of them and I just me, just a person, a human being. Just a kid with a lot to learn and big shoes to fill._

  
_It probably stands to good reason as that is definitely what I am not. I'm constantly underestimated, and appropriately so, because that's how I wish it to be. Those who can't see past their own nose will never take me as a threat. Those who suspect me of something more are practically nonexistent. I've lived these entire 18 years receiving everything that anyone could ever want on a whim, and yet never feeling anything of substance for it. I am a ghost, it's part of the business you see. But it's also a part of who I am._   
_As an unfortunate result, I'm utterly bored. There are no challenges left for me, I have seen everything that my future role will entitle and I'm not struck with any sort of emotion for it, ambition being the very least. I'm surrounded and caged constantly by duty, and showered and worshiped with respect that I have not earned. And it leaves a person hollow, and bitter._

  
_I'm not like every other person in most aspects. But I am human, and under these terms I wish for fulfillment just like everyone else. Unfortunately for people like me, this fulfillment always comes from the darkest of places. Indulging in crimes of both the law and the flesh are what people like me are notorious for. And yet here again, I'm not like every other person._   
_Suddenly, I found myself experiencing something I've never felt before. Excitement, motivation, and yes, ambition. But not for the things I should. It's become apparent that I've slowly come to despise everything about this place, the people that work in it, and everything my future holds. Blinded by monotony I haven't been able to see it before, but now, as I'm threatened to lose a treasure that I only just recently found, I can't willingly ignore it. And it's at this point that I've realized that the dictatorship of logic that I've always co-existed with is complete and utter shit._

  
_A being never exposed to the luxuries of choice, of feeling is weakest when they finally meet this foe. And in these regards I can't rationally or honestly deny that I haven't crumbled beneath it. Maybe roles are to be destined, and not planned... But, regardless of everything I've said, or all the thinking and rationalizing I've agonized over, I've decided simply to stop resisting._

  
_And as it turns out, I've realized that the enemy is not structure, or the lack of it._   
_The truth of the matter is that there is no enemy at all. Except perhaps ourselves._

 

 

  
After reading carefully over the note for the third time, scrutinizing each word, each phrase, the paper was laid gently down on the large desk in front of him. "It's Shikamaru's handwriting, certainly. But if there's some message hidden in it, he's covered it too well."

"Perhaps there is no hidden message. He is just a boy, really, sir."

  
Forcing a low chuckle, Asuma tenderly pulled a cigarette from his pack, placing it between his lips and lighting it as if it were a precious jewel to be handled with care. "No, he's too smart for that. This note is far too long, the script is too forced. If he were actually doing this of his own desire he'd simply leave without a word. The fact that he left a note is the first clue, the second is hidden within but I'll be damned if I can't decode it."

  
In front of him was an older man, possibly in his late fifties, sitting with one leg crossed over the other, fingers placed in a gentle pyramid below his chin. "Then there's something we're missing?"

  
"Yes. But it's not important. Wherever that 'Hidan' is, Shikamaru will be with him." Hands that were far too rough to belong to someone in the business he was in stroked over his beard as he spoke. His expression was thoughtful, despite this, and after a few moments of silence between the two he leaned back in his chair, removing the cigarette from his mouth to exhale a lungs-worth of smoke.  
"What disturbs me most sir, is that the boy didn't notice."

  
"I assume he was chosen specifically for his ability to infatuate my nephew. To lure him away without a mess. What should disturb you most is that your men didn't catch this right off the bat."  
"He is a very well-trained Individual sir..."

  
"As is Shikamaru."

  
"As soon as we are able to extract him from the situation without harm, we will bring him back."

  
"Don't concern yourself with Shikamaru's safety. He knows what he's doing. Just bring me Hidan, by any means necessary. If there is a rare chance that Shikamaru feels something for him, it needs to be dealt with."

  
With a nod, the man rose from his chair and disappeared from the room like a specter. Asuma watched him go emotionless, puffing on his cigarette in that thoughtful silence.


	7. Chapter 7

 

  
_"Give me the burden!_   
_Give me the blame!_   
_How many, how many Hail Mary's is it gonna take?!"_

 

 

\--

 

  
_"It seemed fast, though it happened over the span of months."_

 

 

"What the fuck are you doing? I didn't tell you to stop running!" Hidan shouted, shoving the younger man in what was supposed to speed him up but only succeeded in making him lose his balance and crash onto the concrete.

  
Pain flared up Shikamaru's side as the cement peeled off a good portion of the skin on his left knee and shoulder. With only an angry snarl through clenched teeth, he pushed himself back up and took off again. "I'm telling you we don't need to run, there's only the three of them we can easily-"

  
"Would you shut the fuck up and do what I say Pineapple head!?" Hidan barked with another shove, twisting to look behind him at the same time.

  
"First of all you work for me! Which means you do what I say! Secondly they didn't even see us! We have the upper hand, all it takes is a little bit of calm, rational thought-"

  
"If they didn't see us they wouldn't be there in the first place."

  
"That doesn't make sense!"

  
"It was a fucking trap Kid, for fuck's sake just trust me!"

  
Gunfire echoed in time with his last words, and both men lifted hands over their head as the bullet ricocheted off the metal lamp post they were passing and sparks rained down on them. Before he could even think enough to process another though Shikamaru was grabbed tightly by the forearm and yanked to the side down an alleyway.

  
"Still think they didn't see us?" Hidan said lowly, throwing the younger against the wall and then flattening himself to the surface next to him.

  
Panting, Shikamaru gave him an incredulous look. "Well they probably noticed you shoving people out of the way and swearing while you practically dragged me out of there!"

  
"The whole thing was a trap."

  
"You think everything is a trap! I swear I've never been in so much trouble so often until you came along! I hardly even needed protection before you made it obvious to the entire world who I was!"

  
"Ssshhh!"

  
"Don't you shush m-" He was cut off by the pale hand clapping over his mouth. Normally something so simple wouldn't have stopped him, but then Hidan was so close to him that he could smell him while being forced to breathe deeply through his nose. Unintentionally his eyes fell wide when he was suddenly staring into fiery, unblinking violet.

  
"Listen." He said lowly.

  
Shikamaru listened, at first irritated because he heard nothing. Then it clicked into place. It wasn't just nothing he was hearing, it was dead silence.

  
"There's more than three. The symposium was a lure, they would have grabbed you as soon as I took my eyes off you. Oldest trick in the book."

  
With Hidan's hand still over his mouth, his body pressed against him, and his face mere inches away, Shikamaru could do nothing but stare back.

  
"I didn't draw any attention to us, it was already on us. All I did was make all the other people aware that something was wrong with the fucking scenario. Panic is a good distraction, good camouflage for getting away. And now, thanks to your big smart ass mouth, we're surrounded. But! Luckily for us, these guys are amateur as hell. Just do what I fucking tell you, and we'll get home all nice and alive."

  
Finally he stepped away, and once again Shikamaru was launched into confusion at a strange sense of... disappointment. And this of course brought on the usual uncharacteristic frustration Hidan always seemed to provoke from him. Of course it could logically be attributed to not seeing what was called an obvious trap by a blundering idiot, and so it was rationalized away as just that.

 

  
At least it was this first time. Every other incident that followed, however, had to be given more thought.

 

 

\---

 

  
_"Sometimes I wonder if I actually knew what was going on, if I still do..."_

 

 

"Checkmate."

  
"Bullshit."

  
"You can't move your King out of danger. I have you from all sides. That's a checkmate, Hidan. I win. Again."

  
"Not if I take out this fucker with my Castle." Hidan replied smartly, grabbing the chess piece and smacking the black Bishop off the game board.

  
"Rook's can only move in straight lines, Hidan. That move is illegal. I still win."

  
"You have a fucking superiority complex Kid. Who fucking cares about rules? You can't get anything accomplished if you do everything by the book."

  
"Mmm. More wisdom from the smartest man I know."

  
"You oughta bask in it, Pineapple head. You're too goddamned smart to be so stupid." Hidan tossed the playing piece carelessly onto the board and rose from his chair, moving to the window to peek through the curtains.

  
Shikamaru stared curiously at him. Nearly a year had passed now, with Hidan as his chaperon, and the pony tailed teen was still thrown into rage and confusion by the man's unrestrained personality. There was double meaning to some things he said, while others were straight-forward. And normally it was the nonsensical things that spurted from his loud mouth that bothered Shikamaru the most for the fact that he couldn't figure it out. It would be easy to disregard it as pure idiocy, but something stopped him. Just sort of a gut feeling, really, maybe curiosity. And the fact that Hidan, at one point or another, used his insane logic to somehow miraculously prove a point that made these stupid, annoying little quips relevant.

  
"It's just a game. Not everything has to be compared to something else..." He muttered, tentatively picking up the glass pieces and putting them away, each in their rightful place.  
Hidan only turned to give him an indescribable look, and clicked his tongue.

  
"And besides, I have tutors and scholors and learned individuals spitting out life lessons at me all day long, I don't need it from you too..." He spoke mostly absentmindedly, fighting a headache and moving to the case where he kept his multitude of chess sets to put the one they'd been playing on away. When he turned around though, the silver haired man had placed himself directly in his path, and was staring at him in a way that almost seemed... sad.

  
"I'm not your friend, Pineapple Head." He said low. Shikamaru's skin crawled against his will, and in reaction to this he attempted to shove the older man away. But as usual, he didn't budge.

"The king doesn't get friends. You're the King, the one everyone is aiming to take out. Your Uncle thinks he's King, but you're the one everyone wants. There are no friends, only those defending you, and those trying to take you out. That much of your stupid game is right."

  
With an even harder shove, he managed to get past him and stomp over to the doorway, unsure really of why he was suddenly so angry. "If you're not my friend and you don't care for me then quit trying to teach me your stupid logic all the time. I'm smarter than you anyway." He snapped, before whirling and managing to walk himself calmly back to his room where he sat and contemplated what exactly had just happened to him, and why he'd said what he had said.

 

 

\---

 

 

_"No one ever knows right away when they meet the devil."_

 

 

"You honestly must be the stupidest man I've ever met." Shikamaru said casually, scooping the last bit of plain vanilla yogurt out of a small tub.

  
Having just shut the door quietly, or what he must have thought was quietly, behind him, Hidan froze. For a slowed moment in time, The younger had to restrain himself from laughter as his bodyguard turned with ridiculous slow-motion toward him in an almost cartoon manner.

  
The Nara smirked.

  
Hidan only stared, emotionless.

  
"Is it me or my uncle?" He finally asked, popping the last spoonful of the late-nigh snack into his mouth, the clink of the metal hitting his teeth nearly echoed in the absolute stillness of the night.  
Recovering at last, the silver hair straightened himself and started, assumingly, toward his quarters. "Fuck off Pineapple head, I'm not in the mood."

  
Shikamaru snorted, tossing the spoon into the sink and the tub into the garbage as he moved to catch up. "Not in the mood to be caught leaking information to outside sources? If I was going to tattle you'd be in prison already."

  
Hidan stopped and whirled, taking the few large steps to close the distance between them. More out of shock, the younger halted, then began backpedaling as the larger man continued his approach, not stopping until his back was pressed against the wall. Pale hands slammed onto the wall on either side of his head, and despite the unwanted terror turning his veins to ice, Shikamaru managed to appear unfazed, looking into burning amethyst casually, almost bored.

  
"Do you even realize that I could kill you right now?" Hidan said, leaning in and slightly to the side, making his ward fight shivers from the breath on his skin.

  
"Are you unafraid of death, master? Do you yearn for it?" He whispered, absolutely confounding the younger with the uncharacteristic speech but once again sending his skin crawling against his will. He fidgeted slightly in the tight position, unable to stop himself, but still remained passive.

  
"You get into trouble... wherever you go. People want you. And maybe, you should be using that brain to consider what would happen to you if I weren't here, instead of concerning yourself with what I do while I am."

  
Their eyes locked for a second before Shikamaru couldn't hold it any longer, rolling his and squeezing from the man's grip half-embrace, ignoring the insane pace of his heart. "I've never heard anything that sounded more like treason in my life, Hidan-san." He said carelessly. "Like I said, if I were going to turn you in it would be done by now."

  
"You don't know what you're getting into, Pineapple Head." Hidan called behind him, irritating the younger enough to make him stop and whirl around.

  
"Unless you're trying to get caught, shut up. And if you haven't noticed by now, I'm not afraid of you." With that he turned on heel again and quickly turned the corner to his room, leaving the older man alone in the hallways.

  
"...That's the damn problem." Hidan muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets and continuing to his quarters, leaving the manor once again cloaked in silence.

 

 

\---

 

 

_"Life would be easier if we did..."_

 

 

The first snow of winter. Snowflakes falls pleasantly outside the window, beautiful to look at here in the warm comfort of the library with a fire gently growling behind him.

  
"You don't know anything about me." Hidan said, out of the blue. After eyeing him suspiciously, Shikamaru put down his pen and gently closed the hundred-year-old book he was researching from. Finally the awkward stalemate between them was over.

  
"I know everything about you."

  
"Then you know I don't play games." The elder replied without hesitation.

  
"I know you don't play fair."

  
Molten violet sent a fiery glare across the small surface in front of them, held easily by the cool stare of his ward. Neither budged for a very long time, letting the silent conversation float between them in an endless plane. It dangled just there in the center, begging for either of them to reach out and take it, though neither were willing, both waiting for the other to move first.

  
Finally the elder moved, shifting in his seat and reaching behind him to un-clip his holster and pull the pistol from it to toss it on the table. It clattered to a stop, spinning for a short amount of time before finally it lay still, the barrel pointed directly at Shikamaru.

  
Cunning eyes sparked as he glanced down at it, and returned his gaze to Hidan, raising an eyebrow in challenge. "You still don't scare me, Hidan-san."

  
A wicked smirk spread across pale lips. "That wasn't a threat."

  
In the split second after he said it, the table was thrown to the side, and Shikamaru found himself shoved suddenly against the wall and held there steady by his throat. Finally, a thin veil of fear smoothed over his expression, and Hidan's grin only grew wider.

  
He leaned in close, their noses only a hairs width apart. Despite his skin crawling, the younger managed to remain perfectly still, possibly more out of fear than anything, as the grip on his neck was at a dangerous tipping point, with only a slight movement Hidan could snap his trachea. In this everlasting moment though, it was only held there firmly, allowing oxygen to pass, but no movement to be made.

  
"How many times do I have to tell you that you don't know what you're doing?" Hidan said, voice low, expression unreadable. His eyes flicked back and forth between Shikamaru's for a moment before slowly, so slowly the younger would never have heard if the manor wasn't suddenly wrapped in complete and utter silence... He inhaled through his nose, lids drooping for a millionth of a second.

  
And then there were lips against his.


	8. Chapter 8

 

  
_"Don't care if he's guilty, don't care if he's not._   
_He's good, and he's bad, but he's all that I've got."_

 

\--

 

  
"So... are you going to tell me who you are?"

  
Silence in the car as they sped away from the estate. Shikamaru watched it dwindle in the background, marveling at how such a large building could suddenly seem so small... and alien.  
"Would it make a difference if I did?" Hidan said back, piercing violet glued to the road in front of them.

  
"No. I already know this is all a trap."

  
More silence. And surprising even himself, Shikamaru sighed in irritation, crossing his arms in the seat. "One of us is going to be killed for this. The problem here is we both think it's going to be the other."  
"Or maybe not."

  
Shikamaru blinked. "...Are you trying to get yourself killed? Is this some stupid 'noble hero' thing?" He said incredulously, throwing his hands up when he didn't receive any answer. "My God you are so stupid. As if I'd let that happen. You know you keep telling me I don't know who I'm dealing with, but I think you're the one who needs a reality check."

  
"Has it ever occurred to you that you only fucking hear what you want to?" Hidan replied, just as annoyed.

  
"That doesn't make sense."

  
"It doesn't make sense because the only way your brain can function is within the tiny little fucking box that your uncle has you fucking prisoner in!" Hidan Snarled, voice getting louder and louder with each word.   
Whether it was confusion or strictly anger, Shikamaru was struck speechless.

  
"You can't trust people, That's your fucking problem kid. You think you're untouchable. You think no one out there wants you dead, or something even worse. And that's how he raised you. If you'd apply some of this fucking suspicion toward everyone and not just me, maybe you'd fucking see the big picture!" He shouted now, slamming his hands on the steering wheel at the last.

  
Snapping back with a nearly audible _twang_ The younger man's temper flared fully for the first time since he could remember. "If you're trying to tell me that Asuma is some sort of traitor, you're not just stupid you're completely fucking crazy! You're the one sneaking out every night, thinking you're such a bad ass espionage agent. You think don't realize that every 'trap' you saved me from was premeditated by you and whoever else you're working for to gain my trust? You think I'm some blushing damsel that fell for you just because you're so dark and brooding and mysterious?"

  
"You only see things in fucking black and white don't you you arrogant little shit?"

  
"Don't you dare accuse _me_ of being arrogant you self-righteous prick! I didn't fall for your act, mister 'I'm a hardened criminal that gave up my life of crime for the greater good'. You think I don't know every detail about you? I _know_ what's going on behind  _my_ back. It's called strategy for fucking moron. It's called a plan. Did you ever think maybe _you're_ the one who doesn't know who he's dealing with?" For a second the silver hair actually seemed to doubt himself, glancing over at Shikamaru but remaining stubbornly silent, though visibly grinding his teeth.

  
"You think I _want_ to be a crime lord? You think I want that kind of life?  Conniving and corrupt? That kind of _trouble_ to constantly deal with?  You think I want to be intentionally surrounded by morons for the rest of my existence because there's an 85% chance that every single living being that I ever connect myself to is going to be brutally killed in some ridiculous war that's been going on for centuries over things as stupid as money and greed?"

  
Still silence, for which Shikamaru was glad for, as he couldn't seem to get himself to stop ranting now. "We don't get to choose the lives we were born into but we sure as hell can control whether or not we accept it. We can use the gifts we were given to aid us to get to a place where we do want to be. It's no coincidence that all the bodyguards before me didn't last, it's no coincidence that _you_ of all people miraculously did. The only thing that _didn't_ go to plan is that I actually ended up tricking myself into caring about your troublesome existence."

  
The Nara rolled his eyes and scoffed after nothing was offered in defense, plopping back into his seat and crossing his arms. "I didn't fall for you, idiot. You fell for me."

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

  
_"Oh Lord, Oh Lord. I'm begging you please..."_

 

 

\--

 

  
_Hands bound behind him, body hunched in a way that denied the act of not being in pain that he tried so desperately to put forth, Hidan chuckled._

  
_"Naturally... it depends on the person that was saved... Neh?" He wheezed, a hard but agnostic glare still unbroken against that of his captor._

  
_Dropping the cigarette carelessly onto the old oak flooring, he stared down at the victim. A swirling of emotion and rational thought battling for control behind sharp, charcoal eyes. His lips pulled into a frown, as if he'd been expecting, or hoping, for a different response. But after the pause he sighed, resigning to whatever internal battle it was that seemed to haunt him._

  
_"Naturally..." He said softly, then pulled the trigger._

 

 

The gun clicked, but didn't fire. Hidan sneered up at him. A few heartbeats of silence stretched on between them before Asuma's eyes widened. "...No..."

  
"Yes, actually." Came a voice from behind him, as well as the distinct click of a gun being cocked.

  
The bearded man whirled just in time to have the barrel of a handgun shoved in his mouth, previously fallen open in shock. He froze in place at the action, lifting his hands in surrender and making a show of dropping his weapon. "Shikamaru..." He tried to say, though it came out as only a strange series of sounds.

  
"What I don't understand, Uncle, is how you could put all this money and effort and time into raising me, teaching me everything you know, and still think I wouldn't figure out what you're doing."

  
Again he tried to say something but the younger took a step closer, pushing the gun further into the mans mouth and narrowing his eyes at the small choke it caused. "You would let yourself be reduced to murder, by your own hand, of a man beaten and bound and on his knees in front of you, just to 'keep me safe?' You think I'd just allow it? You think I'd just cluelessly go about my day for 19 months, and never notice a thing?"

  
Asuma remained quiet this time, apparently getting the hint.

  
"You raised me to always be a step ahead of my enemies, and you never suspected that I might think you to be one. You raised me to never trust anyone, and yet expected me to trust you." After a pause, he pulled the gun away, still aimed carefully. Asuma didn't speak immediately, but lowered his hands.

  
"I don't know which I'm more offended by, the fact that you think I'm stupid, or the fact that you intended me to be your scapegoat. As if I wanted this corrupt life of insanity in the first place."

  
"Shikamaru-"

  
"Hidan, get up." Shikamaru interrupted, making panic streak across his Uncles expression.

  
"You're missing half the picture..." He said pitifully, voice cracking. "Please, Shikamaru. Listen to me."

  
"To teach me about morality, standards, to put yourself above things as asinine as greed and selfishness. To tell me I have the power to make the world a better place, only to turn around each and every day and contradict every word. This 'enterprise' you've put together, nothing more than a God damn mafia, is so precious to you that you'd hire a man to 'distract' me while you commit crime after crime."

"Shikamaru-"

  
"Shut up! You hired Hidan to try and manipulate me through any possible way. Keep me busy, make me think my life was in danger and focus on that so I wouldn't see your shady _business deals_ going on in the background. He tried to quit but of course your plan worked too well and naive little me ran away with him. Couldn't have your heir disappearing on you could you? Couldn't chance Hidan leaking information. And here you still try to tell me you're _protecting me_ , by killing him in cold blood? You're an idiot, and you played right into my plan." The beaten man rose slowly, and limped over behind the youngest of the three, a malicious sneer stretching across his features when he was safely out of Shikamaru's range of vision.

  
"In these regards, consequence now demands to be taken for your actions." The youngest mocked, face a blank slate, eyes like stone.

  
Against all reality, Asuma's eyes stretched even wider, mouth dropping open slightly in shock. "You... you planned..."

  
"You should know more than anyone, Uncle, That I hate cheaters." Shikamaru said finally. "But it's not a game, it's life, if you make your own rules, you surrender to insanity. The second you start trying to rationalize, you've killed yourself."

  
Asuma swallowed heavily. "Shikamaru, you've gone mad."

  
Shikamaru smirked. "That's the only explanation that makes sense isn't it?" He lowered the gun, chuckling. "It wasn't logic that drove me to do this, actually."

  
Hidan stepped out from in front of him, making his way slowly to Asuma's side, his hands mysteriously free now. To the man's terror, Shikamaru suddenly tossed him the gun. Skillfully, Hidan dumped out the empty clip and replaced it with another one he pulled from the bearded man's pocket.

  
"I was going to let you live and go far, far away from here. But you should know more than anyone that I don't like to lose. And yet I despise sore losers more than anything..." He said, gesturing to Hidan, beaten and battered and now holding up a loaded and cocked gun to Asuma's temple.

  
"Shikamaru... It wasn't me that was my men-"

  
"Who were doing what you told them to do. Don't play the victim Uncle, honestly it's pathetic."

  
"Please I-" The gun was shoved so hard into the side of his head that he fell sideways to his knees.

  
"He said shut the fuck up." Hidan growled as he looked to his nephew, pleading. Charcoal eyes only stared down at him, bored and uncaring.

  
"Logic doesn't even come into the equation." He murmured, closing his eyes and turning away.

 

_'Sick and twisted love...' He thought to himself, not caring enough to know why._

  
With a laugh that gradually increased in volume, Hidan pulled the trigger. _  
_

_\---_

 

_"Don't take that sinner from me..."_


End file.
